First six MSU practices will be open to the public

STARKVILLE, Miss. - Football fans will have several opportunities to get a look at the 2013 Mississippi State Bulldogs prior to the season opener, Head Coach Dan Mullen announced Wednesday.

The Bulldogs will conduct six open practices from Thursday, August 1 to Sunday, August 4. State’s annual Fan Day Celebration will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, August 24 in the Palmeiro Center.

Mississippi State’s first fall practice will be held on Thursday at 5 p.m. On Friday, the Bulldogs will host a split-squad practice, with the first group starting at 7:30 a.m. and the second group beginning at 6 p.m. On Saturday, the first squad goes at 8:30 a.m., with the second group wrapping up the day with a 2:30 p.m. practice. The last open practice commences at 12 p.m. Sunday.

Fan Day, a yearly kick-off meet-the-team celebration, will feature players and coaches signing autographs, photo opportunities with Bully and several other fun features. Doors will open at 12 noon and players and coaches will be in attendance from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Earlier in the day on August 24, student ticket sales will begin at the Davis Wade Stadium ticket office.

The team begins the 2013 season on August 31 in Houston, Texas, at Reliant Stadium against Oklahoma State. The Texas Kickoff Classic is set for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff and will be televised live nationally on ABC. For more information on the Maroon and White, follow the program on Twitter at @MStateFB, like the team on Facebook at Facebook.com/MStateFB and join the squad on Instagram at Instagram.com/HailStateFB.